Arts & Crafts Shopping In Kentucky

Beginning with the earliest days of English settlement, handicrafts have been a beloved art form in the Bluegrass State. While many Kentucky arts and crafts are rooted in tradition, others are on the cutting edge of contemporary art. You can find it all on your visit, and even bring home a piece or two as a gift or souvenir.

Berea, known as the Folk Arts & Crafts Capital of Kentucky, is home to a thriving community of artisans with shops and studios scattered throughout town. The city’s craft heritage is tied to historic Berea College, the first integrated and coeducational college in the South. Paducah, home to the National Quilt Museum and Lower Town Arts District, has been designated a UNESCO Creative City, one of only nine in the United States. Inspiration awaits visitors to this city’s many vibrant galleries and workshops.

The Kentucky Artisan Center, Appalachian Artisan Center and KMAC Museum all display and sell works of hundreds of Kentucky artisans. Kentucky Arts Council maintains directories of Kentucky Crafted Artists and Retailers that have met the Council’s criteria of artistic excellence and professionalism as judged by independent panels of arts professionals. Plus, handcrafted wares are the centerpiece of many festivals throughout the Commonwealth, large and small.

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Hiking Swift Creek Camp of the Red River Gorge

Daniel Boone Country

The Swift Camp Creek Trail offers several potential detours, including the Rock Bridge Trail to its stunning namesake.

 

The Red River Gorge is world-famous for its rock climbing, but that’s not all it has to offer. Dozens of trails wind through the gorge in Daniel Boone National Forest. Swift Camp Creek is aptly named. You’ll occasionally encounter fast-moving water, so avoid this hike during the rainy and runoff seasons. That’s all part of what gives Swift Camp Creek its adventuresome feel. This trail experiences lighter traffic than many of its neighbors, so it’s a quintessential Kentucky wilderness experience.

 

 

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT

 

Between heavy undergrowth, constant ups and downs, numerous stream crossings, and sections of unmaintained trail, Swift Camp Creek offers a real challenge to hikers looking to get away from it all—most of the trail feels very remote. The trail winds eight miles through the Clifty Wilderness from the trailhead at Sky Bridge Road to its junction with the Rock Bridge Trail. There’s a trailhead near the junction at Rock Bridge Recreation Area. This is where hikers with a shuttle meet their pickup. Swift Camp Creek runs alongside its namesake creek for the majority of the trail, but in most spots, steep, rocky drop-offs make creek access impossible.

 

The hike is best done at low water, when it’s possible to cross or hike up Swift Camp Creek. Just before the junction with the Rock Bridge Trail, be on the lookout for the foundations of an old log dam, a remnant of the area’s logging history. When conditions permit, hikers can wade upstream a short distance to “Hell’s Kitchen,” where the forest gives way to huge sandstone walls. Regardless of whether conditions permit a detour to Hell’s Kitchen, you’ll be ready for a beer and a slice of pizza at beloved Miguel’s on your way out of the Red.

 

 

WHO IS GOING TO LOVE IT

 

The Swift Camp Creek Trail is best suited to experienced hikers. Challenging trail conditions—including a lack of signage—mean it’s crucial that hikers be comfortable with backcountry navigation.

 

 

DIRECTIONS, PARKING & REGULATIONS

 

From Pine Ridge, take KY 15 west to KY 715, where you’ll take a right. Continue for just over 5 miles to the Angel Windows Parking Area. No fees are required for day hiking in Daniel Boone National Forest.

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